-ar verb irregular · stem-changing-e-ie B1 · Intermediate

Conjugate apretar in Spanish

to squeeze, to tighten

apretar is an irregular -ar verb ranked #518 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "Estos zapatos me aprietan mucho." (These shoes squeeze my feet a lot.). Use the tables below for full conjugation across all 7 tenses.

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⚡ Irregular verb — apretar (stem-changing-e-ie) does not follow standard -ar patterns. Pay close attention to the stems in each tense.

Describes current actions, habits, and general truths. The most frequently used tense — master it first.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo aprieto *
aprietas *
él/ella/Ud. aprieta *
nosotros apretamos
vosotros apretáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aprietan *
Example

Estos zapatos me aprietan mucho.

These shoes squeeze my feet a lot.

Describes completed past actions with a clear start and end. Key signals: ayer, el lunes pasado, de repente.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo apreté
apretaste
él/ella/Ud. apretó
nosotros apretamos
vosotros apretasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apretaron
Example

Ayer yo apreté.

Yesterday I squeeze, to tighten.

Describes habitual past actions, background context, and ongoing states. Key signals: siempre, normalmente, cuando era niño.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo apretaba
apretabas
él/ella/Ud. apretaba
nosotros apretábamos
vosotros apretabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. apretaban
Example

Antes yo apretaba con frecuencia.

Before, I used to squeeze, to tighten often.

Describes future events and predictions. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for planned events.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo apretaré
apretarás
él/ella/Ud. apretará
nosotros apretaremos
vosotros apretaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apretarán
Example

Mañana yo apretaré.

Tomorrow I will squeeze, to tighten.

Expresses what would happen under certain conditions — equivalent to "would" in English. Also used for polite requests.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo apretaría
apretarías
él/ella/Ud. apretaría
nosotros apretaríamos
vosotros apretaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. apretarían
Example

Si pudiera, yo apretaría.

If I could, I would squeeze, to tighten.

Used in clauses expressing wishes, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty — typically after que. Triggers: querer, esperar, dudar, ojalá.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo apriete *
aprietes *
él/ella/Ud. apriete *
nosotros apretemos
vosotros apretéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aprieten *
Example

Espero que tú aprietes.

I hope that you squeeze, to tighten.

Used to give commands and direct requests. Affirmative and negative forms differ significantly in Spanish.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
aprieta *
él/ella/Ud. apriete *
nosotros apretemos
vosotros apretad
ellos/ellas/Uds. aprieten *
Example

Aprieta bien la tapa para que no se derrame.

Tighten the lid well so it doesn't spill.

Test yourself

Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with apretar

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